Sitting at a stop light with my mind wa/ondering on and off about nothing and everything all at the same time, I became peripherally aware of a small, gray, animated “presence” moving along the sidewalk. It would alternately roll over, then climb a small wall, then turn itself inside out, hurry on down the sidewalk, etc., with highly spirited undulation.
However, on closer inspection, I discovered the animated gray “presence” was a plastic bag being blown down the street by the wind!
Without warning, my “nothings” and “everythings” took a decidedly inward turn.
Motivational gurus talk about “driving forces” that nudge us to do whatever we do – or don’t. However, sometimes we do stuff without any discernible “driving forces” … just “being us”.
So it occurred to me that each of us has some kind of “WIND” blowing over, around and through our lives that carries us along the sidewalks, highways and byways of the universe, and – particularly when other “driving forces” are not engaged – we simply move in the direction the wind inside us blows. The constant “blowing” of this wind gives us the impression that we’re going somewhere, even when we’re not … and even when we’re going in an unproductive direction. This “wind” is the prime source of our sense of “busyness” … like when someone asks us to take out the trash, walk the dog, clean up our room, unload the dishwasher, etc. … we’re “busy”.
To an observer, the prevailing wind may be mistaken for attitude, and it probably is a significant contributor to attitude.
A major contributing element to the prevailing wind, including its force and direction, is “natural inclinations”, supplemented by adopted habits.
Some are resigned to let the prevailing winds dictate their destiny, with outcomes only fortuitous by accident, and generally not. The inevitably disappointing results are usually credited to “Fate”.
So the operational question here is: How do we direct the “wind” inside and around us to take us where we really want or need to be going? And how do we create/capture more of the “Good Wind”? If we could but capture, tame/harness and direct that wind, what wonders we could achieve!
Here we run into the ever-lurking question of GOALS. What do we WANT? What do we NEED? And what engagement is most worthy to capture our best effort for the entire duration?
Passion, Mission and Purpose help define wind direction and intensity and come packaged with self-directed wind generators. Unfortunately, these are rare commodities in the underbelly of mere existence. So we’ve got to do most of the “wind mining” from scratch. But “wind mining” is the business we’re in for the entire duration – should we accept the challenge of matriculating toward our full potential.
Negative driving forces – like hunger, discomfort and fear of alienation of supporting actors – can be a potent part of the mix:
“Motivation is a pretty fancy name for a necessity of life. It was motivation that put food on our plates, thoughts in our heads, and blankets on our bodies when it was pretty damn cold at night. Motivation taught us all about life, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. As my Pa used to say, ‘If you can’t go over an obstacle, go around it. If that don’t work, go through it … and make damn sure you don’t trip, boy.’ I guess that’s motivation for you. Sometimes my motivation didn’t feel so good, so I just fed it some courage and hope. It worked as long as I supported it.” Jack Dempsey (Speaker’s Idea File, June 1994, p. 5, Ragan Communications, Inc., Chicago, IL)
“Tail winds” help immensely, if we can catch them, although we’re more likely to encounter “headwinds” and “crosswinds” in the usual course of events. Tail winds can be found in the synchronistic wake of similarly engaged others or provided by a supporting cast of collegial first advocates and cooperating collaborators, coaches or mentors. (NOTE: It pays huge dividends to make oneself “helpable”!)
Capturing the wind of a Dream or a Passion provides the most momentum in the most favorable direction.
When the wind seems to flow at cross purposes or is stilled to a whisper, it’s time to “Center Down” and construct a reorienting “wind tunnel” to get it going again. Yoga, meditation and exercise are excellent means of “wind tunneling” to regenerate/recapture favorable wind energy and direction.
“How many roads must a man walk down,
Before they call him a man?
“The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.”
Bob Dylan
